Live in French in the Seine River region

Duration: 3 minutes 27 seconds

Soft music builds to a crescendo. Text appears on a white background: “Welcoming Francophone communities support the integration of newcomers in French.”

We see an aerial image of the village of Lorette. Over this image, a map of Manitoba appears with the text

“Seine River area
Manitoba
More than 15% of the population speaks French.”

We see a horse behind a low fence in a field. Then we see a car passing on a road. We cut to a young boy running through a house. We then see him on the couch with his smiling brother. Next, we see a man standing in a kitchen. He looks directly at the camera. Text appears over this image:

“Jean Kabongo
Liaison Officer
Manitoba Francophone Immigration Network”

Then we see an aerial image of the town of La Broquerie.

Jean kabongo: For us, it was very important to experience community life with the children. Every immigrant who comes to the area has a unique background. And as soon as they arrive, we welcome them and help them find a place to live and a job.

Then we see a wide shot of the bilingual services centre. A man enters. We see a sign that reads “Santé Sud.” The man speaks to an advisor inside. Then we cut to an image of Jean sitting at his desk. He speaks directly to the camera. We continue with an aerial image of a residential district. Then we see a close-up of a smiling young boy. Next, we see the whole family sitting on the couch.

Jean kabongo: Every immigrant who comes to the area has a unique background. And as soon as they arrive, we welcome them and help them find a place to live and a job. We help them to do everything they really need to start their lives here in Manitoba. The opportunity that rural life offers, especially in the Seine River area, is living where you really feel like part of the community.

We continue with a wide shot of a road with houses. A man is walking along the sidewalk.

Jean kabongo: Here, we say “rural,” but we’re not very far from the city: 25 minutes by car and you’re there.

We continue with an aerial image of downtown Winnipeg. Text appears over this image:

“The Seine River area offers a rural lifestyle within an hour’s drive of Winnipeg.”

We cut to a wide shot of a woman walking on a footbridge in Winnipeg. Then we see her standing in front of the offices of the Fédération des parents de la francophonie manitobaine. She looks directly at the camera. Text appears over this image:

“Brigitte L’Heureux
Executive Director
Fédération des parents de francophonie manitobaine”

We cut to a montage sequence of the federation’s premises. There are games and books for children. Then we see a woman and child entering a gymnasium where booths for various Francophone organizations have been set up. Brigitte is talking with a co-worker. Next, we see a mother and child having fun with some kids.

Brigitte l’heureux: We have several children’s educational resource centres in the Seine River area. These are essentially Francophone spaces in a minority setting where children can live in French outside the home. You can meet other French-speaking parents, play in French, and learn in French.

This is followed by a montage sequence of signs that read “La Broquerie,” “Lorette” and “Sainte-Anne.” We continue with a shot of Brigitte entering a building with a sign that says “Centre de ressources éducatives à l’enfance.” Then we see her talking with other co-workers in a meeting room.

Brigitte l’heureux: A Francophone family might choose a Seine River community in order to have a different lifestyle, one that truly embraces a community, where all services — and even jobs — are in French.

We continue with an aerial image of the town of Sainte-Anne. Then we see a series of buildings. Next, we see a woman entering a small house. Now she is sitting at a table with another woman. They are working on French language-learning exercises. We see Brigitte standing in the playroom of the childcare resource centre and speaking directly to the camera.

Brigitte l’heureux: We’ve started offering home schooling. This means a weekly visit with the family. We try to match families with a home visitor who’s from the same area or has the same mother tongue so that we can really cement that sense of trust.

We cut to an aerial image of a street in the small town of La Broquerie. Text appears over this image:

“There are 14 early childhood and family centres and 24 French schools in the province.”

We cut to a wide shot of a building. Then we see a sign that reads “Division scolaire franco-manitobaine.” We see an image of a man sitting on a chair at his desk. He looks directly at the camera. Text appears on the screen:

“René Déquier
Director of Educational Services
Division scolaire franco-manitobaine”

René déquier: Our schools are very inclusive. We have a responsibility to welcome all children into the community.

We then see René working at his computer. We continue with a wide shot of a school. Then we see students with books in a library having a discussion. Next, we see a teacher talking to students in a classroom. The children are having fun doing a craft activity. Then we see students in the school hallway. Next ,we see René standing in a meeting room. He speaks directly to the camera.

René déquier: We know that our school system here in Manitoba may be different from the one that people who come from elsewhere may be used to. So, we have a process that we call “the three cups of tea.” The three cups of tea represent three meetings where the family will be invited to visit the school, meet the principal and meet the teacher who will be responsible for their children. It’s really about helping the family understand our system and helping us understand what the family’s needs are.

Next, we see the booth of the Fédération des parents de la francophonie manitobaine in the school gym. A young mother and her baby are talking with a Fédération representative. They are laughing together. We then see a school bus on the road. Next, we see an aerial view of the school with several school buses in front of it. Then we see a teacher giving instructions to the students in the library. We continue with a montage of students working at their desks in a classroom and then with an image of several students having fun in the playground as the snow comes down.

René déquier: There are many community services. Sometimes, the challenge for immigrants is to find out what those services are and how to access them. Settlement workers can connect those families with services available in the community. Our schools teach in French, but our children are in an environment that is predominantly English-speaking. So all our children are learning English. Francophones are a minority in Manitoba, but I truly believe that we bring something of great value to this province and the country.

Lastly, we see an aerial image of the town of Sainte-Anne. Text appears over this image:

“For more information about French-language services, visit rifmb.ca”

The music stops. On a white background, we see the Department’s logo, a small Canadian flag with the text “Immigration, Réfugiés et Citoyenneté Canada” and “Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.” We see the Government of Canada logo, the Canadian flag against a white background.